JANUARY 11, 1999

Villeneuve joins the dream team

JACQUES VILLENEUVE kicked off the 1999 Formula 1 season with the prediction that British American Racing will be challenging for race wins from the very start of the year. "We can definitely be up there challenging for race wins," commented the 1997 World Champion, at the launch of British American Racing. "It's very difficult to judge from pre-season testing but from what I've seen it's going to be very good because we had nothing to work from. We didn't have the right things on the car and yet we were competitive.

"The plan is to be competitive at the first race in Melbourne, to qualify high up on the grid. Once we've done that we can think about the race but we'll definitely go there thinking we have a small chance of winning."

Reynard has won the first race in each single-seater championship in which its has run cars but even Adrian Reynard admits that F1 is going to be tough. "But that does not mean we are not going to try to do it," he said at the Autosport International racing car show in Birmingham.